Method of delivering pills through a feeder tube

ABSTRACT

A pill delivery and packing apparatus having a feeder tube for delivering pills is provided. The feeder tube has a helical delivery chute that extends between an inlet side and an exit side of the tube. The delivery chute has a helical inner contour and a rectangular cross section that corresponds to the shape of the pills. The helical delivery chute is configured such that each of the pills rotates while proceeding through the delivery chute, whereby such rotation of the pills prevents jamming of the pills in the delivery chute. Independently extendable pins are used to alternately block and open the delivery chute, thus providing an escapement mechanism for dispensing pills. The tube also has an outer surface defining a helical outer contour that guides a rotatable tray on which pills are disposed. Associated apparatuses and methods are also provided.

CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS

This application is a division of U.S. application Ser. No. 10/224,987,filed Aug. 21, 2002, which is hereby incorporated herein in its entiretyby reference.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

1) Field of the Invention

The present invention relates to pill packaging and, more particularly,to apparatuses and methods for delivering and packaging pills, tablets,capsules, and the like.

2) Description of Related Art

Pharmaceutical products such as pills, tablets, capsules, caplets, gelcaps, dragees, and the like are often packaged in containers such asbottles, pouches, blister packages, sachets, or boxes. Each containermay comprise a plurality of pill receptacles that are to be individuallyfilled with one or more pills. This procedure is preferably performed byan automated machine capable of precisely and accurately delivering thepills at a high rate of speed. Conventional packaging machines include aplurality of dispensing tubes and chutes that guide the pills toward thepill receptacles. Precise orientation and placement of the pills can becritical to the process, for example when the pills are placed into adisposable pouch that is subsequently covered with foil. An exemplaryform of such an apparatus is described in U.S. Pat. No. 5,737,902 toAylward for “Apparatus and Method for Packaging Pills.” One embodimentof the packaging apparatus includes a tray for supporting anaccumulation of pills over a drop chute. The tray is reciprocally raisedand lowered to cause the pills to fall through an opening in the trayand into a tube that extends through the opening of the tray. The pillsfall through the tube and into the drop chute, which guides the pillstoward a container.

Although this type of feeder has achieved commercial acceptance,problems may arise if the tube or drop chute becomes blocked with pills.Blockage of the tube or drop chute can occur if adjacent pills shingleupon one another. Shingling occurs when a pill becomes wedged between anadjacent pill and the wall of the tube or chute. For example, as shownin FIG. 12, shingling can occur in a dispensing tube T where the pills Pare stopped by pins N1, N2 that control the rate of release of thepills. The shingling of the pills P prevents the pills from fallingthough the tube T when the pins N1, N2 are retracted from the tube.Blockage within the tubes can increase maintenance costs, reduce thespeed of the packaging process, and cause some pill receptacles to gounfilled. Unfilled pill receptacles result in defective packages andnecessitates rework, thereby increasing packaging costs.

In order to reduce the likelihood of shingling, some tubes are designedto be only slightly larger than the pills that fall therethrough so thatthere is insufficient space between a pill and the wall of the tube foranother pill to fit. However, the size of the pills is determined inpart by the composition of the pill material, and therefore pill sizesmay vary from lot to lot. Thus, keeping the tube size closely matched tothe pill size can necessitate different sized tubes for different lots,even if successive lots contain similar pills. The need for additionaltubes increases the average expense of operating the machine.Additionally, changing the tubes between each lot requires stopping themachine and, hence, decreases the throughput. Moreover, shingling canstill occur even when tubes are changed for each lot, especially ifthere are variations in pill size within a single lot of pills. Theparticular characteristics of some pills, such as shape, hardness,surface roughness, and the like, can also increase the likelihood ofshingling.

Another problem occurs when the pills that are disposed on the tray donot fall into the tube. Although the reciprocal raising and lowering ofthe tray is usually effective in agitating the pills, the pillssometimes become arranged such that they are not easily moved andencouraged into the tube. One such arrangement occurs when two or morepills become simultaneously lodged in the opening of the tube. Untilthis arrangement is disturbed, the lodged pills block each other and theother pills from entering the tube. Alternatively, a number of pills maybecome arranged in a “bridged” configuration, wherein the pills arestacked in a relatively stable structure that defines a hollow,cave-like interior. This stacked arrangement also prevents pills fromentering the tube. Like blockage within the tubes, failure of the pillsto fall into the tubes can reduce the speed of the packaging process andcause some pill receptacles to go unfilled. Again, defective packages,rework, and increased maintenance increases packaging costs.

Thus, there is a need for an improved packaging apparatus for deliveringand placing pills and the like into pill receptacles and containers.Such an apparatus should not have the disadvantages associated withconventional systems and should be able to precisely and reliably placepills into pill receptacles in a desired orientation. Such an apparatusshould decrease the risk of blockage of pills within the tube, forexample, by shingling, and should also increase the likelihood andefficiency of delivering pills into the tube.

BRIEF SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

Embodiments of the present invention meet these needs and others by theuse of a feeder tube having a helical delivery chute that preventsshingling as explained below. The feeder tube may also or alternativelyhave a helical outer contour. The helical outer contour and the helicaldelivery chute extend between an inlet side and an exit side of thetube. As pills proceed through the feeder tube, the helical deliverychute causes each pill to rotate about an axis that is generallyparallel to the direction of travel. Thus, each pill is positioned at arotational position that differs from adjacent pills, decreasing thelikelihood of shingling. Additionally, the helical outer contour engagesa corresponding aperture defined by an axially reciprocating tray sothat part of the tray is made to rotate as the tray reciprocates. Thisrotation agitates the pills and facilitates entry of the pills into thetube.

The helical delivery chute has a rectangular cross section thatcorresponds to the shape of the pills. The lead length of the helicalcontour is between about one and about four inches. An access slotextends from an outer surface of the feeder tube to the delivery chute.The opposing walls of the access slot each define a retaining slot thatretains an elongate member along the length of the access slot.Independently extendable pins are used to alternately block and open thedelivery chute, thus providing an escapement mechanism for dispensingpills.

Embodiments of the invention also provide a pill delivery apparatus thatincludes a feeder tube, trays for feeding pills into the tube, and adrop chute that guides pills for delivery from the delivery apparatus.The trays include a rotatable inner tray that is rotatably engaged withan outer tray. A helical outer surface of the feeder tube corresponds toan aperture defined by the inner tray such that when the tray is axiallymoved to insert the feeder tube into the aperture or retract the feedertube from the aperture, the rotatable inner tray is rotated due tointeraction with the helical outer surface.

Additionally, embodiments of the invention provide a packaging apparatusfor placing pills into a series of pill receptacles. The apparatusincludes a pill delivery apparatus implementing a feeder tube defining ahelical delivery chute, a frame, and a conveyor for conveying the seriesof pill receptacles.

Further, embodiments of the present invention provide a method ofdelivering pills. The pills are disposed on a rotatable inner tray andurged into a helical delivery chute of a feeder tube, for example, bymoving the tray axially with respect to the feeder tube to causerotation of the tray. The pills are rotated during delivery through thedelivery chute and dispensed in a controlled manner by alternatelymoving pins into and out of the delivery chute.

The feeder tube can be formed by fused deposition modeling, for example,by plasticizing a thermoplastic polymer, depositing the polymer insuccessive layers to define the feeder tube and the delivery chutetherein, and solidifying the polymer. A soluble material can also bedeposited to support at least a portion of the polymer. The solublematerial is dissolved after the polymer is solidified to thereby definea void in the feeder tube.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE SEVERAL VIEWS OF THE DRAWING(S)

Having thus described the invention in general terms, reference will nowbe made to the accompanying drawings, which are not necessarily drawn toscale. For example, it is noted that the helical delivery chute is shownwith exaggerated proportions for illustrative purposes only. Inpractice, the dimensions of the helical delivery chute are such that asmall clearance is provided between the walls of the delivery chute anda pill passing through the delivery chute. In the drawings:

FIG. 1 is cross-sectional schematic of a packaging apparatus accordingto one embodiment of the present invention with the trays in the raisedposition;

FIG. 2 is a perspective view of a feeder tube having a helical outersurface according to one embodiment of the present invention;

FIG. 2A is a cross-sectional view of a feeder tube as shown in FIG. 2taken at line 2A—2A of FIG. 2;

FIG. 3 is plan view of the inlet side of a feeder tube according to oneembodiment of the present invention;

FIG. 4A is an elevation view of an exemplary pill for use withembodiments of the present invention;

FIG. 4B is an orthogonal elevation view of the pill shown in FIG. 4A;

FIG. 4C is an elevation view of another exemplary pill for use withembodiments of the present invention;

FIG. 4D is an orthogonal elevation view of the pill shown in FIG. 4C;

FIG. 5 is a plan view of a packaging apparatus as shown in FIG. 1;

FIG. 6 is a cross-sectional view of a packaging apparatus as shown inFIG. 1 taken at line 6—6 of FIG. 1;

FIG. 7 is a cross-sectional schematic of a packaging apparatus as shownin FIG. 1 with the tray in the lowered position;

FIG. 8 is a cross-sectional view of a packaging apparatus as shown inFIG. 7 taken at line 8–8 of FIG. 7;

FIG. 9 is a plan view of a pill delivery apparatus according toembodiments of the present invention;

FIG. 10 is an elevation view of a pill delivery apparatus as shown inFIG. 9;

FIG. 11 is a partially transparent view of a feeder tube formed by fuseddeposition modeling according to one embodiment of the presentinvention; and

FIG. 12 is a partially transparent view of a dispensing tube accordingto the prior art illustrating pills in a shingled configuration.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

The present invention now will be described more fully hereinafter withreference to the accompanying drawings, in which preferred embodimentsof the invention are shown. This invention may, however, be embodied inmany different forms and should not be construed as limited to theembodiments set forth herein; rather, these embodiments are provided sothat this disclosure will be thorough and complete, and will fullyconvey the scope of the invention to those skilled in the art. Likenumbers refer to like elements throughout.

Generally described, embodiments of the present invention are directedto a packaging apparatus 1 implementing a pill delivery apparatus 2having a feeder tube 10 for delivering pills 5 from a tray 39 to aplurality of pill receptacles 7 in containers 6. One embodiment of sucha packaging apparatus 1 is shown in FIG. 1. The term “pill” is usedherein throughout, but the term is not intended to be limiting andincludes any discrete articles of the type used in the pharmaceuticalindustry or otherwise including, but not limited to, capsules, caplets,gel caps, dragees, and tablets. Similarly, the receiving container 6 canbe any one of a number of configurations that provide an opening forreceiving pills 5 therein, such as bottles, pouches, blister packages,sachets, or boxes. Each container 6 may comprise a plurality ofindividual pill receptacles 7 that are to be separately filled with oneor more pills 5, as is the case for a multi-receptacle disposable pouch.Alternatively, each container 6 may receive a plurality of pills 5 intoa single common space, as is the case for a conventional pill bottle.

One embodiment of a feeder tube 10 according to the present invention isshown in FIG. 2. An outer surface 13 of the feeder tube 10 extendsbetween an inlet side 11 and an exit side 12. In this embodiment, theouter surface 13 defines a helical outer contour 14. However, in otherembodiments, the outer surface 13 may define other shapes or contoursincluding, for example, a right circular cylinder. A helical deliverychute 17 has a helical inner contour 16 and extends between an inlet 18and an exit 19 defined by the inlet side 11 and exit side 12,respectively. In one embodiment, shown in FIG. 3, the feeder tube 10 mayalso define an access slot 21 that extends from the outer surface 13 ofthe feeder tube 10 to the helical delivery chute 17. The access slot 21is an optional feature of the feeder tube 10 that is provided, in part,for ease of manufacture. The access slot 21 also provides access to thehelical delivery chute 17 for treatment, maintenance, or inspection. Theaccess slot 21 is defined by slot walls 22. The slot walls 22 eachdefine a retaining slot 23 that retains an elongate member 24 that isslid into the retaining slot 23 and extends from the inlet side 11 tothe exit side 12. The elongate member 24 provides a barrier between thehelical delivery chute 17 and the access slot 21 and thus partiallydefines the helical delivery chute 17. Preferably, the elongate member24 is formed of a thin, flexible material such as a polymer or metal. Inone advantageous embodiment, the elongate member 24 is formed ofDelrin®, a product of DuPont.

The helical delivery chute 17 has the shape of a helical elongatemember. The term “helical” in the context of the invention is meant toinclude both a twisted linear shape and a helically exaggerated shape,which are distinguishable as follows. A centerline through the crosssection of a twisted linear shape defines a straight line that iscolinear with a central axis of the twisted linear shape. Alternatively,a centerline through a helically exaggerated shape defines a path of ahelix, for example a circular helix, which spirals about, and is offsetfrom, a central axis. In the case of a circular helix, the offsetdistance between the centerline of the helically exaggerated shape andthe central axis is the same at all points along the centerline.Increasing the offset distance increases the exaggeration of thehelically exaggerated shape. Decreasing the offset distance decreasesthe exaggeration of the helically exaggerated shape. If the offsetdistance is decreased to zero, the centerline is no longer offset fromthe central axis and the resulting shape is a twisted linear shape.

Two characteristic measures of a helical, thread-like shape are pitchand lead length. Pitch is defined as the distance between successivesimilar sections of the helical delivery chute 17 that occur in a pathparallel to the central axis of the helical delivery chute 17. Leadlength is the distance that each pill 5 travels in the direction of thecentral axis of the helical delivery chute 17 as the pill 5 rotates onerevolution. In the case of a helical delivery chute 17 that is shaped asa single helix, as shown in FIGS. 1 and 2, the pitch is equal toone-half the lead length. Preferably, the lead length of the helicaldelivery chute 17 is between about one and four inches, and morepreferably about two inches. Thus, each pill 5 preferably rotatesbetween about 90 degrees and 360 degrees for each inch that the pill 5proceeds through the feeder tube 10. Increasing the lead length of thedelivery chute 17 generally permits each pill 5 to slide more easilythrough the chute 17, while decreasing the lead length generallydecreases the incidence of shingling of the pills 5 upon one another.Thus, the ideal lead length for a particular type of pill 5 variesdepending on the characteristics of the pill 5, including the shape,size, and surface texture, as well as the variation in characteristicsbetween pills 5 of a common lot.

As shown in FIGS. 2 and 2A, the helical delivery chute 17 has across-sectional shape of a polygon, preferably a rectangle, which isuniformly rotated along the length of the helical delivery chute 17. Thepolygon shape of the cross section of the helical delivery chute 17corresponds to the shape of the inlet 18 and exit 19. The common shapeof the cross section of the helical delivery chute 17, inlet 18, andexit 19 is designed to accommodate and correspond to the shape of thepills 5, which are fed through the helical delivery chute 17 of thefeeder tube 10. The pills 5 may have a variety of shapes, but eachdefines a major dimension 27 and first and second transverse dimensions28, 29. An exemplary pill 5 is shown in FIGS. 4A and 4B. The first andsecond transverse dimensions 28, 29 are perpendicular to the majordimension 27, and the first transverse dimension 28 is preferablyshorter than the second transverse dimension 29. The second transversedimension 29 is equal to or shorter than the length of the majordimension 27. Additionally, when the pills 5 are disposed in the helicaldelivery chute 17 and proceeding in a direction generally parallel tothe direction of the major dimension 27, the first and second transversedimensions 28, 29 generally correspond to the dimensions of the crosssection of the helical delivery chute 17. As the pills 5 proceed, forexample, by falling through the helical delivery chute 17, each pill 5is forced to rotate about an axis parallel to its major dimension 27.

FIGS. 4C and 4D illustrate another exemplary pill 5 a, which definesopposed surfaces 25 a, 25 b and an elliptical portion 26 therebetween.The pill 5 a similarly defines the major and first and second transversedimensions 27, 28, 29. The opposed surfaces 25 a, 25 b are convexlycurved such that the first transverse dimension 28 is the equal to a sumof a width of the elliptical portion 26 and an eccentricity of each ofthe surfaces 25 a, 25 b. It has been observed that a relatively shorterlead length is preferred for pills 5 a with surfaces 25 a, 25 b ofincreased eccentricity, and a longer lead length is preferred for pills5 a with wider elliptical portions 26. For example, in one embodiment,the first transverse dimension of the pill 5 a is about 0.125 inch, theelliptical portion 26 being about 0.060 inch in width and each surface25 a, 25 b having an eccentricity of about 0.0325 inch, and the leadlength of the helical delivery chute 17 is about 2 inches. It isunderstood that the pills 5, 5 a as well as other alternative shapes andsizes of the pills 5, 5 a can be used with the packaging apparatus 1 ofthe present invention.

Due to the rotation of the pills 5 as they proceed through the helicaldelivery chute 17, adjacent pills 5 in the helical delivery chute 17 arepositioned in successive rotational positions. Thus, if multiple pills 5are positioned adjacently in the helical delivery chute 17, the firsttransverse dimension 28 of each pill 5 is not parallel to the firsttransverse dimension 28 of the immediately adjacent pills 5. Thesuccessively rotated positions of the adjacent pills 5 decrease thelikelihood that each pill 5 will become wedged between an adjacent pill5 and the helical delivery chute 17. Thus, the pills 5 are less likelyto shingle upon one another and block passage of pills 5 through thehelical delivery chute 17.

A packaging apparatus 1 as shown in FIG. 1 includes a pill deliveryapparatus 2 supported by a frame 20. The pill delivery apparatus 2 iscomprised of the feeder tube 10, the tray 39 located above the feedertube 10, and a drop chute 60 located below the feeder tube 10. The pills5 are disposed on the tray 39 and fed into the delivery chute 17 of thefeeder tube 10. After falling through the feeder tube 10, the pills 5enter the drop chute 60, which further guides the pills 5 toward thereceptacles 7.

The tray 39 comprises an outer tray 40, which defines an outer trayaperture 43, and a rotatable inner tray 50 that is rotatably connectedto the outer tray 40 such that the rotatable inner tray 50 rotateswithin the outer tray aperture 43. The rotatable inner tray 50 may beattached to the outer tray 40 in a variety of manners. For example, asshown in FIG. 5, a circular shape of the outer perimeter of therotatable inner tray 50 can correspond to the shape of the outer trayaperture 43 such that the rotatable inner tray 50 fits in the outer trayaperture 43. A bearing assembly, retaining clip, snap ring, or otherrotational attachment device can be fit between the trays 40, 50. Theattachment device rotatably connects the two trays 40, 50 and retainsthe rotatable inner tray 50 in the outer tray aperture 43.

As shown in FIG. 6, the rotatable inner tray 50 also defines an innertray aperture 51 that corresponds to the feeder tube 10 so that thefeeder tube 10 can be inserted into the inner tray aperture 51. In oneadvantageous embodiment, the inner tray aperture 51, as defined by alower surface 54 of the rotatable inner tray 50, is square. Preferably,the inner tray aperture 51 is larger in area as defined by an uppersurface 53 of the rotatable inner tray 50 than as defined by the lowersurface 54 thereof. Thus, the inner tray aperture 51 tapers in thedownward direction, and the taper facilitates the movement of the pills5 disposed on the trays 40, 50 toward the inlet 18 of the feeder tube10. Additionally, the inner tray aperture 51 as defined by the uppersurface 53 may have a different shape than as defined by the lowersurface 54. For example, as shown in FIG. 5, the inner tray aperture 51may be square as defined by the lower surface 54 and circular as definedby the upper surface 53.

As shown in FIG. 1, a controller 70 is communicatively attached to, andcontrols, a tray actuator 45, which alternatingly raises and lowers thetrays 40, 50. At the raised position of the trays 40, 50, the lowersurface 54 of the rotatable inner tray 50 is proximate to the inlet side11 of the feeder tube 10, as shown in FIG. 6. At the lowered position ofthe trays 40, 50, the upper surface 53 of the rotatable inner tray 50 isas low or lower than the inlet side 11 of the feeder tube 10, as shownin FIGS. 7 and 8. The axially reciprocating action of the trays 40, 50agitates the pills 5 that are disposed on the trays 40, 50.

In one advantageous embodiment, the inner tray aperture 51 at the lowersurface 54 of the rotatable inner tray 50 defines a shape that closelycorresponds to the shape of the outer surface 13 of the feeder tube 10.The helical outer contour 14 of the outer surface 13 acts as a guide forthe inner tray aperture 51. The outer surface 13 of the feeder tube 10shown in the figures may extend from the inlet side 11 along only aportion of the feeder tube 10. Alternatively, the helical outer surface13 could extend along the entire length of the feeder tube 10. As thetrays 40, 50 are raised or lowered relative to the feeder tube 10 by thetray actuator 45, the engagement of the inner tray 50 and the helicalouter surface 13 causes the rotatable inner tray 50 to rotate. Due tothe rotatable connection between the trays 40, 50, the outer tray 40does not rotate, and the rotatable inner tray 50 rotates relative toboth the outer tray 40 and the feeder tube 10. The rotation of therotatable inner tray 50 agitates the pills 5, facilitating the movementof the pills 5 toward the inlet 18 and the entry of the pills 5 into theinlet 18. In the event that one or more pills 5 become stuck at theentrance of the delivery chute 17, the rotation of the rotatable innertray 50 will tend to dislodge the stuck pill(s) 5.

As shown in FIGS. 1 and 7, the pill delivery apparatus 2 also includesan upper pin 31 and a lower pin 32 actuated by an upper pin actuator 33and a lower pin actuator 34, respectively. The controller 70 iscommunicatively attached to the pin actuators 33, 34 and controls thepin actuators 33, 34 and hence the pins 31, 32. The pins 31, 32 areextendable into the feeder tube 10 through upper and lower pin openings35, 36. The pins 31, 32 can be alternately moved in and out of thedelivery chute 17 so as to form an escapement mechanism allowing onlyone pill 5, or a certain number of pills 5, to pass therethrough at atime. For example, the pins 31, 32 can first be configured so that theupper pin 31 is retracted, the lower pin 32 is extended, and pills 5 areheld within the helical delivery chute 17 of the feeder tube 10. For asingle pill escapement mechanism, the pins 31, 32 are spaced at aninterval such that at least one whole pill 5 fits between the upper andlower pins 31, 32 when the pins 31, 32 are extended. With one pill 5positioned in the helical delivery chute 17 between the pins 31, 32, theextended lower pin 32 prevents that pill 5 from falling through thehelical delivery chute 17. The upper pin actuator 33 extends the upperpin 31, preventing any more pills 5 from passing through the helicaldelivery chute 17 past the upper pin 31. The upper pin 31 may beinterjected between the adjacent pills 5, or the pin 31 may push thesecond-lowest pill against the opposite side of the chute 17, thuseliminating any risk that the lowest pill will be unintentionally pushedagainst the opposite wall of the chute (and thus trapped) by the upperpin 31. Such an arrangement can be seen in FIG. 12 and is known in theart.

The lower pin actuator 34 then retracts the lower pin 32 and releasesthe one pill 5 from the escapement mechanism and the pill 5 proceeds tothe exit 19 of the helical delivery chute 17 and is released. Afterreleasing the pill 5, the lower pin actuator 34 extends the lower pin 32and the upper pin actuator 33 retracts the upper pin 31 so that thepills 5 in the delivery chute 17 advance and one pill 5 is againpositioned between the upper and lower pins 31, 32. For a multiple pillescapement mechanism, the pins 31, 32 are spaced at a greater intervalso that multiple pills 5 fit between the two pins 31, 32. A multiplepill escapement mechanism may release and deliver a plurality of pills 5as one group. The pins 31, 32 may be formed of a variety of materials,but in one advantageous embodiment, the pins 31, 32 are rubber to reducethe likelihood that the pills 5 will be damaged in the event that thepins 31, 32 contact the pills 5.

A packaging apparatus 1 as shown in FIGS. 1 and 7 may also include aconveyor 4. The conveyor 4 can be any type of conveyor capable of movinga series of empty containers 6 along a predetermined path of traveladjacent to the packaging apparatus 1. The conveyor 4 may move thecontainers 6 intermittently or continuously. In one embodiment, theconveyor 4 moves the containers 6, which each define a plurality of pillreceptacles 7, under the drop chute 60, stopping intermittently witheach container 6 in a position adjacent to the drop chute 60. In anotherembodiment, however, the conveyor 60 moves continuously and at leastpart of the packaging apparatus 1 moves parallel to the path of thecontainers 6, as taught in U.S. Pat. No. 5,737,902 to Aylward, which isherein incorporated by reference.

FIGS. 9 and 10 illustrate an alternative embodiment of a pill deliveryapparatus 2. The rotatable inner tray 50 is rotatably attached by a snapring (not shown) to the outer tray 40 within the outer tray aperture 43.The inner tray aperture 51 of the rotatable inner tray 50 correspondsclosely to the outer surface 13 of the feeder tube 10. Similarly to thepreviously described pill delivery apparatus 2 of FIGS. 1 and 7, thepill delivery apparatus 2 shown in FIGS. 9 and 10 is alternatinglyraised and lowered. The helical outer contour of the outer surface 13acts as a guide to the inner tray aperture 51, and as the trays 40, 50are raised or lowered relative to the feeder tube 10, the rotatableinner tray 50 rotates. The inner tray aperture 51 may also define auniform shape, such as a square between the upper and lower surfaces 53,54 of the rotatable inner tray 50. The uniform shape of the inner trayaperture 51 corresponds to the outer surface 13 of the feeder tube 10.

The feeder tubes 10 and other components of the packaging apparatus 1may be formed from a variety of materials including, but not limited to,plastic, aluminum, steel, or other polymers or metals. The choice ofmaterial depends upon such factors as material cost, manufacturing timeand cost, and such material characteristics as strength, durability,flexibility, and surface roughness. In one advantageous embodiment, thefeeder tube 10 is formed of nylon. In another advantageous embodiment,the feeder tube 10 is formed of a material that is impregnated withTeflon®, a product of DuPont.

The feeder tubes 10 can be formed by injection molding, casting,machining, or a variety of rapid prototyping methods such as fuseddeposition modeling. In one preferred embodiment, the feeder tubes 10are formed by fused deposition modeling, in which a continuous filamentof a thermoplastic polymer is heated, plasticized, and deposited insuccessive layers. The polymer solidifies shortly after being depositedso that the successive layers can be deposited thereon, thusincrementally forming the feeder tube 10. Voids can be formed bydepositing a soluble material that supports the successive polymerlayers but can be dissolved after the successive polymer layerssolidify. For example, the soluble material can be dissolved by water.Fused deposition modeling is further described in U.S. Pat. No.5,121,329 to Crump, titled “Apparatus and method for creatingthree-dimensional objects,” the entirety of which is incorporated hereinby reference. Fused deposition modeling can be used to produce tubes 10from polymers such as polycarbonate, polyethylene, or other polymers,such as polymers that are approved by the Food and Drug Administrationfor use in pill packaging machines. Additionally, fused depositionmodeling can be used to produce other portions of the packagingapparatus 1 such as the tray 39.

For example, there is shown in FIG. 11 the feeder tube 10 according toone embodiment of the invention that has been formed by fused depositionmodeling. The feeder tube 10 defines the delivery chute 17, whichextends between the inlet and exit sides 11, 12. The upper and lowerpins 31, 32 are shown in extended positions so that the pills 5 a areheld stopped in the chute 17. As illustrated, the pills 5 a are rotatedto different rotational configurations in the chute 17 such thatconsecutive pills 5 a do not shingle, even when stopped by the pins 31,32. The pins 31, 32 can be formed as an integral part of the tube 10 bydepositing a water soluble material at the apertures 35, 36, i.e.,between the pins 31, 32 and the tube 10, to support the deposition ofsuccessive layers of material, and dissolving the water soluble materialafter the successive polymer layers solidify.

FIG. 12 illustrates a conventional dispensing tube T with a straightdelivery chute as is known in the art. The pins N1, N2 are configured tocontrol the release of the pills from the tube T. As illustrated, thepills P are shingled in the tube T such that the pills are preventedfrom falling therethrough.

It will be understood that a packaging apparatus 1 according toembodiments of the present invention can comprise any number of feedertubes 10 for simultaneously filling a plurality of containers 6 or pillreceptacles 7. Each feeder tube 10 can include any number of helicaldelivery chutes 17. Also, while drop chutes 60 are used in the exemplaryembodiments described above, the feeder tubes 10, in an alternativeembodiment, may guide the pills 5 directly to the containers 6 or pillreceptacles 7, making the drop chutes 60 unnecessary. The feeder tubes10 and the drop chutes 60 may also be straight or curved along thelength thereof.

Many modifications and other embodiments of the invention will come tomind to one skilled in the art to which this invention pertains havingthe benefit of the teachings presented in the foregoing descriptions andthe associated drawings. Therefore, it is to be understood that theinvention is not to be limited to the specific embodiments disclosed andthat modifications and other embodiments are intended to be includedwithin the scope of the appended claims. Although specific terms areemployed herein, they are used in a generic and descriptive sense onlyand not for purposes of limitation.

1. A method of delivering pills comprising: delivering the pills througha helical delivery chute defined by a feeder tube and in a deliverydirection; and rotating the pills about an axis along the deliverydirection such that pills successively delivered through the helicaldelivery chute are positioned at successive rotational positions so asto prevent jamming of the pills in the delivery chute.
 2. A methodaccording to claim 1 further comprising disposing the pills on a traydefining a fray aperture and feeding the pills through the fray apertureinto the helical delivery chute.
 3. A method according to claim 2wherein feeding the pills further comprises alternatingly moving thetray along an axis with respect to the feeder tube, the feeder tubehaving a helical outer surface, such that a helical outer surface of thefeeder tube causes the tray to rotate about the feeder tube as the trayis moved.
 4. A method according to claim 1 wherein rotating the pillsfurther comprises rotating the pills between about 90 degrees and about360 degrees per inch along the helical delivery chute.
 5. A methodaccording to claim 1 further comprising controlling delivery of thepills through the helical delivery chute by alternating and successivelyactuating an upper pin and a lower pinto extend into and to retract fromthe helical delivery chute.
 6. A method according to claim 1 furthercomprising providing the feeder tube with the helical delivery chutehaving a rectangular cross section with a first transverse dimension anda second transverse dimension, the first transverse dimension beingshorter than the second transverse dimension such that the feeder tubeis configured to deliver each pill therethrough in a directionsubstantially parallel to a major dimension of the pill.
 7. A methodaccording to claim 1 wherein said rotating step comprises rotating eachpill at least 360 degrees in the helical delivery chute.
 8. A methodaccording to claim 1 wherein said rotating step comprises disposing aplurality of pills in the helical delivery chute such that adjacentpills in the helical delivery chute are positioned in successiverotational positions.
 9. A method of delivering pills comprising:delivering the pills through a helical delivery chute defined by afeeder tube and in a delivery direction; and rotating the pills about anaxis along the delivery direction such that pills successively deliveredthrough the helical delivery chute are positioned at successiverotational positions so as to prevent jamming of the pills in thedelivery chute, each pill being rotated at least about 90 degrees perinch along the helical delivery chute.
 10. A method according to claim 9further comprising disposing the pills on a tray defining a trayaperture and feeding the pills through the tray aperture into thehelical delivery chute.
 11. A method according to claim 10 whereinfeeding the pills further comprises alternatingly moving the tray alongan axis with respect to the feeder tube, the feeder tube having ahelical outer surface, such that a helical outer surface of the feedertube causes the tray to rotate about the feeder tube as the tray ismoved.
 12. A method according to claim 9 further comprising controllingdelivery of the pills through the helical delivery chute by alternatingand successively actuating an upper pin and a lower pin to extend intoand to retract from the helical delivery chute.
 13. A method accordingto claim 9 wherein rotating the pills further comprises rotating thepills between about 90 degrees and about 360 degrees per inch along thehelical delivery chute.
 14. A method according to claim 9 furthercomprising providing the feeder tube with the helical delivery chutehaving a rectangular cross section with a first transverse dimension anda second transverse dimension, the first transverse dimension beingshorter than the second transverse dimension such that the feeder tubeis configured to deliver each pill therethrough in a directionsubstantially parallel to a major dimension of the pill.
 15. A methodaccording to claim 9 wherein said rotating step comprises rotating eachpill at least 360 degrees in the helical delivery chute.
 16. A methodaccording to claim 9 wherein said rotating step comprises disposing aplurality of pills in the helical delivery chute such that adjacentpills in the helical delivery chute are positioned in successiverotational positions.